The International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed a six-year ban on former West Indies batter Marlon Samuels following his involvement in corrupt behavior during the Abu Dhabi T10 in 2019. Samuels, who was part of the Karnataka Tuskers but did not play in the tournament, was found guilty on four counts, including accepting favors that brought himself and the game into disrepute and concealing information from investigating authorities.

This ban is a result of an independent tribunal's findings, and it comes 15 years after Samuels had previously been punished for a similar offense. The ICC found him in violation of several anti-corruption codes during the Abu Dhabi T10.

"Samuels played international cricket for close to two decades, during which he participated in numerous anti-corruption sessions and knew exactly what his obligations were under the Anti-Corruption Codes," said Alex Marshall, the head of ICC's HR and Integrity Unit. "Though he is retired now, Mr. Samuels was a participant when the offenses were committed. The ban of six years will act as a strong deterrent to any participant who intends to break the rules."

The Abu Dhabi T10, being an Emirates Cricket Board-run tournament, operates under its anti-corruption code. The ICC, by their rules, conducts investigations into breaches. Samuels was found guilty on four counts, including failing to disclose the receipt of gifts or benefits that could bring the sport into disrepute, failing to disclose receipt of hospitality with a value of US $750 or more, failing to cooperate with the investigation, and obstructing or delaying the investigation by concealing relevant information.

Samuels' ban takes effect from November 11, 2023. He was initially charged by the ICC in September 2021, and the verdict was reached in August of this year.

Marlon Samuels, who played a pivotal role in West Indies' T20 World Cup victories in 2012 and 2016, announced his retirement in November 2020, having amassed over 11,000 international runs across formats. His career was not without controversy, with a previous two-year ban in 2008 for "receiving money, benefit, or other reward that could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute."

 

Former West Indies player Marlon Samuels has been found guilty of four offences under the Emirates Cricket Boad (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code following a hearing by an independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal.

Samuels, who was charged by the ICC (in its capacity as the Designated Anti-Corruption Official under the ECB Code) in September 2021, has been found guilty after he exercised his right to a hearing before the Tribunal.

The Tribunal will now consider the submissions of each party before deciding on the appropriate sanction to be imposed. The decision will follow in due course.

Samuels has been found guilty of:

Article 2.4.2 (by a majority decision) – Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the Participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute.

Article 2.4.3 (unanimous decision)- Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official receipt of hospitality with a value of US $750 or more.

Article 2.4.6 (unanimous decision) – Failing to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation.

Article 2.4.7 (unanimous decision) – Obstructing or delaying the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation by concealing information that may have been relevant to the investigation.

 

The West Indies might have been dumped out of the ICC T20 World Cup but Carlos Brathwaite’s name will live on as a reminder of what his former team used to be.

Brathwaite’s incredible performance to win the 2016 World Cup for the West Indies has been voted the greatest T20 World Cup performance during a fan vote conducted by ESPNcricinfo.

The Barbadian allrounder turned commentator single-handedly carried the West Indies to glory in the 2016 final at Eden Gardens. With the West Indies needing 19 from the final over against England, Brathwaite struck four massive sixes off Ben Stokes to secure a second title for the Caribbean men. He finished unbeaten on 34 to go along with his impressive figures of 3-23 when England made 155 batting first.

When he came to the crease, the West Indies were in dire straits at 107-6 with 27 balls remaining.

Brathwaite's blitzkrieg garnered 58 per cent of the vote to beat India’s Yuvraj Singh's 70 in the 2007 World Cup semi-final against Australia. According to the cricket website, Brathwaite's performance also emerged top in an internal ESPNcricinfo staff poll, with Yuvraj in joint second alongside Marlon Samuels' 78 & 1-15 in the 2012 final against Sri Lanka.

As the ball sailed through the night sky over the boundary for the winning runs, West Indies commentator Ian Bishop declared "Carlos Brathwaite, remember the name!" The fans did.

Marlon Samuels was an instrumental player in the West Indies ICC T20 World Cup triumphs in 2012 and 2016. In 2012, Samuels scored a 56-ball 78 that proved to be the foundation for the West Indies 137 for 6 that was good enough to defeat Sri Lanka by 36 runs.

Then in 2016, the outspoken Jamaican scored an unbeaten 85 from 66 balls to help the West Indies pull off a remarkable victory chasing down England’s 155 for 9.

Carlos Brathwaite stole the show at the end with his unbeaten 34 from just 10 balls and which included four consecutive sixes in the final over bowled by Ben Stokes, but it was Samuels who kept the West Indies in the game after they had stumbled to 107-6 and needing 49 from just 27 balls.

Samuels has since retired, but the West Indies might already have a replacement in their camp in the form of Roston Chase.

The lanky Barbadian believes he is the man to take over that very important role as the West Indies go in search of a third consecutive title.

“I see myself playing a similar role,” Chase said while speaking with the media from the West Indies training base in Dubai on Thursday.

“I played for the St Lucia franchise for the past two years where I come in mostly after the Powerplay and knock it around and pick up the ones and twos and the occasional boundary when the ball is in my area to score so it’s an easy role for me.

“I like that role and with the power-hitting guys that we have, my role is just to give them the strike and let them do their thing but if the ball is in my area I will put it away.”

Chase demonstrated as much during the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League in the summer when, after a slow start to the season, he was among the league's leading run-scorers with 446 runs. Those runs came at a remarkable average of 49.55 and strike rate of 144.33.

That success, he revealed, came as the result of an adjustment he made to the way he was playing.

“Early on in this year’s CPL, the pitches were a bit difficult. They had a lot of grass but the grass was kind of spongy. It wasn’t like even grass for the ball to slide on. The ball was bouncing a bit; that was a bit hard so I just thought that after the first couple of matches I was trying to go at the ball a bit too hard. It was a wicket that you needed time to get in first and then it became easier,” he explained.

“So that is what I told myself after the first couple of games, just give myself a bit of time at the crease and then let my stroke play take over from there.”

He might have to make another adjustment for the pitch in Dubai where the West Indies will open the defence of their title on October 23 against England.

“We’ve had three training sessions so far and basically, the pitches have been coming on pretty good. The only issue I see with the pitches is that they’re keeping low, so you probably have to stay low when you’re executing your shots and that should work but the pitches are coming on a lot nicer than the ones we usually get in the CPL, so it should be a bit easier to get some runs,” he said.

 

 

Former West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels will contest recent charges made against him under the ICC anti-corruption code.

The 40-year-old former batsman retired from the sport in 2020 but was charged by the ICC on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) for breaching the anti-corruption code during his participation in the 2019 T10 league.

Samuels was charged on four counts of breaching the code relating to:

A breach of Article 2.4.2 – Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or other benefit that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the Participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute.

A breach of Article 2.4.3 - Failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official receipt of hospitality with a value of US $750 or more.

Breaches of Article 2.4.6 – Failing to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation.

Breaches of Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying the Designated Anti-Corruption Official’s investigation by concealing information that may have been relevant to the investigation.

Samuels who had 14 days to contest the charges has since hired legal representation and informed the ICC of his intent to content the allegations brought against him.

Former member of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) selection panel, Roland Butcher, believes it could be critical for the West Indies to find a capable replacement for retired batsman Marlon Samuels if the team is to have a chance of retaining the T20 World Cup.

The mercurial Samuels played a key role on both occasions the team won the title, managing to put together innings that balanced an abundance of caution at the crease, with scoring aggression when needed.

In 2012, Samuels average a solid 38.33, with a strike rate of 132 en route to the team’s triumph but more importantly top-scored in the final, with 78 from 56 deliveries, giving the West Indies a comfortable win over Sri Lanka.

In 2016, it was Carlos Brathwaite that got the accolades in a thrilling, brutal final-over onslaught in the final against England but it was Samuels who once again top-scored at the other end, his 85 from 66 balls proving just as crucial in the team’s title triumph.  For that tournament, Samuels averaged 36.20 with a strike rate of 112.42.

“West Indies will play their brand of cricket, which is all guns blazing, but let us remember in those two World Cups that they won there was a certain Marlon Samuels who was the glue,” Butcher told the Mason and Guest radio program.

“Among all of those stars there was someone who could hold the team together and, when needed, up the scoring rate.  What they need to do is to find someone to play that role and play it successfully,” he added.

Among the candidate to do so for the upcoming tournament will be Roston Chase whose performance during the recently concluded CPL saw him force himself into the thoughts of the selectors.  For the finalists, St Lucia Kings this season, Chase averaged an impressive 49.55, with a strike rate of 144.33.

“The question will be whether Roston Chase can perform that role to that level on the international stage.  This is the international level with the best teams, it’s not the CPL.  Marlon Samuels proved, not just on those two occasions, that when things were tough, he was the go-to man.”

Former West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels has been hit with charges by the ICC on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) for breaching four codes of their Anti-Corruption Code for Participants of the T10 League.

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